Apparatus for distilling petroleum-oils.



A. S. HOPKINS. APPARATUS Foa msTlLLlN-PmoLEuM o|Ls.-

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APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING PETROLEUM OILS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I8. l9I`5 I I Patented Sept. 26,1916.

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' liquid body ofl relatively heavy g.1 IDE rica.

ALTIS S4. HOPKINS,` OF NEODESHA',' KANSAS, ASSIGNOR T0 THE STANDARD OIL COMPANY, OF NEODESHA, KANSAS, A CORPORATION OF KANSAS.

-Av-PPARATUS FOR :DISTILLING PETROLEUM-OILS.

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speeiaauoers raient. Patented Sept. 26, 19t@ Application :filed December 18, 1915. Serial No. 67,603.

To all rwhom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALTIS S. HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Neodesha, in the county of Wilson and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Distilling Petroleum-Oils, of which then fol.- lowing is a'specifcation.

My invention relates to distilling mixed liquids. p

The invention is particularly concerned with apparatus employed in the destructive an apparatus for distillation or. cracking of the relatively heavy or high-boiling-point hydrocarbonoils to produce therefrom lighter or lower boiling-point products, as carried out for instance according to the method disclosed in the patent t0`V William M. Burton, N o. 1,049,667, of January 17, 1913.' In tice of thev Burton process referred to, a

hydrocarbon oil, such for instance as fuel oil and gas oil, the lightest substantial fractions of which have a boiling point approximating 500 F. is distilled under a pressure of up- Ward of four atmospheres and a temperature of froml 650 F. to' 850 F., whereby such chemical changes areelfected as to result in the production of a distillate of substantially -lower boiling point and largely of the desired light, saturatcd`constituents marketable, after suitable refining, as gasolene. To obtain a maximum yield of the desired distillate in carrying out this Burton process, itis important to make a separation of the vapors leaving the still, immel diately condensing and returning to the still for further treatment any fractions of higher boiling point. This separation is commonly effected by an air condenser in the form of a relatively large upwardly inclining vapor conduit known as a de-` phlegmator or run-back, which is surmounted by a condenser proper comprising a plurality of exposed pipes so arranged as to drain into the run-back. From the upper end of this last condenser member the vapors which have escaped condensation pass to the water-cooled coils which drain into a receiverfor the distillate. The use of this apparatuses above described entails a considerable heat loss, the heat units given up in so condensing the heavier vapor fractions being dissipated to the atmos the pracof atmospheric conditions so modifyA the operation of these 'fractionating condensers as to make it diflicult, if not impracticable, to .accurately control the process. With these'considerations in mind I have devised the present apparatus, by which, in brief, the following objects are accomplished:v The heat units given up in ondensing-the heav- 1er fractions are vutilized to preheat a fresh supply vof stock lwhich is to. bcfedV to the still .for treatment therein. The fractionation of the distilled vapors is controlled with the greatest accuracy and independently of weather conditions.

With these'and other objects in mind I have devised the form of distilling apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the specification annexed hereto.

In the drawings, Figure 1 lisa side elevation partly in section and partly diagrammatic, 'of my improved apparatus, Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken sectional view of .the heat-exchanging condenser of my ap- A paratus, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of one side of a modified form of condenser having a thermostatic plied thereto. .y

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the fire-door, 2, the ash-pit door, 3, the fire-box, 4f, the ash-pit, and 5, a comfeed-regulator apbustion' chamber leading into the flue 6 and through a condensing coil 12 mounted in a water bath 13; the condensed distillate into a receiving drum l5 `frdm which it may be drawn from time to time bythe valved outlet pipe 16. For controlling the escape of the incondensable gases by` which A drain pipe 1,4 carries f i i from the coil 12 i the desiredA pressure is'maintainedl uponf the .still,'there isprovided a valved escape pipe 17 tapped into the upper portion of the re- 'ceiver 15.

The detailed construction of the fractionating condenser l0 is shown by Fig. 2, from -11o which itwill be seen that thismember .com-

prises a substantially-cylindrical vertically- .arranged casing or shell 18 intermediate of the length of which there are arranged transverse tube sheets 19 having tubes 20 expanded therein. By this construction the interior of the shell 18 is divided into three compartments, a lower compartment 21, which is in communication directly with the run-back pipe 9, an intermediate compartment 22, which lies between the tube sheets 19, and an upper compartment 23, which communicates with the compartment 21 through the tubes 20 and has tapped thereinto the outlet pipe 11. Near the lower end of the intermediate compartment 22 an oilsupply pipe 24 is tapped into the same, this pipe communicating with the pump or other source of oil under pressure. A hand-controlled valve 25 and an automatic checkvalve 26 are preferably arranged in the pipe 24 adjacent the condenser. Adjacent the upper end. of the compartment 22 a transferpipe 27 is tapped thereinto, this pipe leading downwardly and rentering the shell of the condenser at its lower end to communicate with the lowercompartment 21. It is desirable that a cut-olf valve 28 be located in the length of the pipe 27. As shown in the drawing the bottom of the-compartment 21 is slightly below the point of entrance of the run-back 9, and for the purpose of draining out this sump there is provided ya valved drain-pipe 29. A thermometer 30 having its operative portion lying within the upper compartment 28 is preferably extended outwardly through a T-joint in the vapor outlet 11. A second thermometer 31 may be placed in any, convenient location in the pipe 27.

The operation of my apparatus described above is as follows: The mixed vapors rising from the still 8 pass outwardly through the dephlegmator 9, which, according to ordinary practice will be uninsulated and will, therefore, itself serve to some extent as a fractionating condenser removing the very heavy vapors and returning them to the still. This operation is not necessary when my apparatus is employed, however, it being possible to thoroughly insulate the conduit 9,

depending wholly upon the condenser 10 forthe desired eect. After passing through the lower vapor compartment 21 of my condenser, the gases traverse the cooling tubes 20, transferring their heat through the Walls of the latter to the oil within the compartment 22, the higher-boiling-point fractions being thereby condensed and caused to drain downwardly into the compartment`21 and from the latter through the conduit 9 back to the still to 'be again subjected to cracking process. The desired fractions, however, pass through the fractionating condenser in the form of a v-apor and by the conduit 11 are carried to the main or water-cooled condenser. By the indications of the temperature as shownby the thermometer 30, the maximum boiling point of the vapors passing this thermo-meter may be readily observed, and by manipulating the control valve 25, thereby increasing or decreasing the iow of cooling oil into the compartment 22, the quality of the distillate forming vapor may be changed at will; that is, should the thermometer show a temperature indicating the presence of the objectionable higher boiling-point fractions, the flow of cooling oil may be increased thereby lowering the temperature of the liquid surrounding the vapor tubes 20 and consequently reducing the temperature of and increasing the condensation eect upon the vapors therewithin, causing the higher boilingpoint fractions to be liquefied and drained back to the still for further treatment therein. During the process of distillation, and according to the operation just described, the oil within the compartment 22 gradually moves upward, and entering the upper end of the pipe 27 is conveyed by the latter directly into the vapor compartment 21, its temperature at the time of its entry into this compartment ranging from 400o F. to 500o F. as indicated by the thermometer 31. In this latter compartment there prevails a temperature considerably in excess of that given, by whichA the lower boiling-point fractions of the inflowing oil are converted into vapor, their sudden expansion having a secondary cooling eect on the mixed vapors from the still, thereby lessening the amount of heat to be transmitted through the vapor tubes 20 and increasing the efciency of the condenser. A considerable percentage of this oil is converted into the desired fractions within the compartment 21 itself, while the remainder mixed with the condensate from the tubes 20 drains backthrough the conduit 9 to the still for further treatment.

By the operation of the apparatus described above I find that the -loss of heat is reduced to ar minimum, it being possible to thoroughly insulate or jacket both the vapor conduit pipe 9 and the condenser 10 and thereby free the apparatus entirely from the effect of atmospheric changes.` By observing the indications of the thermometer 30 vand properly regulating the yalve 25, as

indicated thereby, it is possible to accurately control the boiling point of thel distillate reaching the receiver 15, and to counteract the effect of uneven firing vunder the stillV 8. The fresh stock fed intol the pipe 24 is so thoroughly preheated during its passage through the compartment 22 that upon entering thevapor compartment 21, all of the desired lighter fractions which it may contain are vaporized and there is reason to believe, moreover, that a certain limited amount of cracking takes place withinV this chamber also. Since all of the oil fed in by the pipe 24 is in eect added to the charge of the still, it will be seen that the capacity of the latter is increased to this extent, and since the quantity of fuel required and the time for completing a run of the still does not increase proportionately, it may be said that my apparatus is not only of greater capacity but has a higher efficiency.

In Fig'. 3 of the drawing I have shown means by which the valve 25 and consequently the inflow of fresh oil through the pipe 24 may be automatically controlled in' accordance with changes of temperature in the upper vapor compartment 23. In the construction shown in Fig. 3 there is mounted within this vapor compartment a thermostat 32 of any approved design and arranged to operate electrical contact devices by which the starting, stopping' and reversal of an electric motor 33 is controlled. This motor may be caused to actuate the valve 25 as by providing the latter with a wormwheel 35 for engagement with a worm 34 driven from the motor 33. Bythis construction the thermostat 32 may be set for a certain pre-determined temperature, this temperature being the vapor temperature at which the maximum quantity and the best quality of distillate is obtained in the receiver 15, and the thermostat will then act through its electrical connection to open the valve 25 and increase the flow of cooling oil when the temperature of the vapors in the compartment 23 tends to exceed the predetermined maximum, or, by reversal of the motor 33, will close the valve 25 as the l temperature of the vapors in the compartment 23 tends to drop below the desired minimum. l

The process of distilling mixed liquids, and particularly petroleum oils for which my apparatus above described is particularly designed is described and claimed in my copending application, vSerial No. 67,602, led December 23, 1915.

While I have shown and described in considerable detail a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this showing and description is illustrative only and for the purpose of making my in- Vvention more clear,` and that I do not regard the invention as limited to the specific construction and combination ofthe parts hereinbefore mentioned, except in so far as I have included. such limitations within the terms of the following claims, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherentin my invention as broadly as is permissible in view of the prior art.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for treating hydrocar- 1 bons and comprising, in combination, a still, a* dephlegmatorinclining upwardly from the still for carrying vapors therefrom, a reflux fractionating surface condenser communicating with theupper end of the said dephlegmator to receive vapor therefrom and to drain its reux condensate thereinto, means for feeding liquid to the surfaces of the said condenser to cool lthe same, means for feeding the cooling liquid into the said dephlegmator after it has traversed said by internal partitions toqform an upper andlower vapor compartment and intermediate'.

condensing passages, means for feeding cooling liquid to the outer walls of said coni densing passages, a valve for controlling said feed, a thermostat located in the upper vapor compartment, means operable by the said thermostat for regulating the said valve, p

Ya transfer conduit for leading the said cooling liquid'A to the upper end of the dephlegmator after it has traversed the said condenser, and meansl for carrying 0H and separately condensing the vapors passing the upper vapor compartment.

f ALTIS S. HOPKINS. 

